General Finance News

Getting a dividend of over 4% from a technology company is no simple task, even as many technology leaders have decided that higher dividends can finally start to be used to reward their shareholders.  This is where Digital Realty Trust Inc. (NYSE: DLR) comes into play.

24/7 Wall St. refers to Digital Realty as “The Landlord of the Cloud and Technology.”  For months and months this was our top dividend pick for anything tied to technology.  While it is a real estate investment trust, or a REIT, the company houses many datacenters, storage farms, and technology outfits as its key tenants.  The problem is that this upside and valuation has currently diminished to the point where our internal risk-reward metrics.  We have now removed it from our top dividends portfolio and it is not a part of the 24/7 Wall St. 2012 Mod

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The Federal Reserve is reportedly developing a plan for 2012 that will increase their transparency with regard to target interest rates. Their hope is that they will provide some stability to financial markets by easing concerns about borrowing costs. If people know that the cost of borrowing will remain low for years to come, it helps ease underwriting concerns that lenders have and convinces more people to take out loans to build businesses.

The Fed is an organization that, by merely hinting at things during press conferences, can send markets rallying or tumbling, depending on the hint.

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– The major U.S. index futures are pointing to a notably higher opening on Thursday, with sentiment likely to get a boost from positive domestic economic data released earlier in the day. A Labor Department report showed that weekly jobless claims declined sharply, while the results of a regional survey showed that manufacturing conditions in the New York region improved more than expected. Deal announcements and some positive corporate news may also offer support to the markets, helping them rebound from a 3-session slide.

The Dow Industrials remains poised to break its 21-day moving average to the upside and this could position it for an attempt at its 200-day moving average.

U.S. stocks declined on Wednesday, as investor perception that the eurozone debt crisis has no quick fix heightened risk aversion.

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Millions of Britons are being forced to take out expensive payday loans to make ends meet, according to a study from R3.

The insolvencies experts warned the number of people turning to payday lenders – who charge interest rates of several hundred percent – is unlikely to wane in the current economic climate as increasing numbers of people need extra cash to see them through until payday.

Some 60% of those questioned said they were worried about their levels of debt, while 45% said they struggled to make their money last until their next payday.

Sixty-two percent of people aged between 22 and 24 years old said they often could not make their wages last a month.

R3 said the survey revealed money worries at the highest level it has ever seen and said its figures suggest as many as 3.5 million people will apply for a payday loan over the next six months.

The payday loan sector has expended rapidly since mainstream lenders restricted their loan books in the wake of the financial crisis.

Frances Coulson, R3 President, said: Its worrying to see that the 16-24s are developing bad money management skills so early on. Few

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Sony has cut the price of its by $30 until December 24. At $99, the Sony is now the same price as the top-selling with touch screens, the Barnes & Noble Nook Simple Touch and Amazon Kindle Touch.

The Sony is a recommended model in our , although it ranks a little below its Nook and Kindle competitors in overall performance. However, it weighs a little less than they do and is the only reader on the market that allows you to borrow library e-books entirely wirelessly.

Got an old e-book reader kicking around the house that you no longer use? Until December 31, Sony is offering a further $50 off one of their readers if you trade in an old model of any brand.

For help in choosing a model that’s right for you, see Consumer Reports’ .

If the federal government could nail Al Capone on tax charges, euthanasia device maker Sharlotte Hydorn, 92, didn’t stand a chance.

Hydorn, of El Cajon, Calif., pleaded guilty last week in federal court to a charge of failing to file federal income tax returns since 2007 on $150,000 in earnings from various sources, including the profits from selling kits designed to help people end their lives.

Under the terms of the plea agreement, Hydorn has agreed to pay approximately $26,000 in back taxes and to quit selling the devices. She could have faced up to one year in jail and/or a $100,000 fine, but was spared jail time in part because of her age, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Melanie K. Pierson.

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It’s an oldie but goodie; part of a perpetual debate. What is the appropriate “replacement rate” to target when saving for retirement?

Conventional wisdom pegs it at 80%. But Reuters’ Linda Stern wonders if, despite the mountain of reporting about America’s lack of retirement readiness, it might be too much.

“[T]here’s reason to believe that oft-quoted 80% figure is wildly on the high side,” Stern writes. “That, in turn, makes the retirement calculations based upon it also wildly off. And that means

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